This application relates to electron beam treated carbon doped oxide (CDO) films.
One method to reduce interconnect signal transmission delays (RC delays) is to utilize low dielectric constant (k) materials in advanced microelectronics interlevel dielectric films (ILD). To achieve low dielectric constants, a material which inherently possesses a low dielectric constant can be used and/or porosity can be introduced into a film. By increasing the film void fraction or porosity, the thermal-mechanical properties of the material can be degraded. Because of the diminished mechanical properties, process integration of a highly porous ILD film in an interconnect structure can be a challenge. For instance, the application of chemical/mechanical polishing (CMP) used to produce copper (Cu) damascene structures can induce mechanical failures that result in delamination or tearing of the underlying ILD films. The control of the erosion/dishing of the Cu lines determines the amount of shear imposed to these weaker ILD materials. Similarly, packaging can subject interconnect layers to severe shear and normal forces.